Justin Timberlake channels Steve Jobs in new ‘Filthy’ video

Justin Timberlake channels late Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs in the video for his new track “Filthy”.

Fans of the singer have been desperately waiting for Timberlake to drop a new single ahead of the release of his album “Man of the Woods” on Feb. 2. And on Friday, Timberlake didn’t disappoint, as he shared the “Filthy” video and instructed listeners to “(play) very loud”.

In the video, directed by Mark Romanek, Timberlake plays a Jobs-type character who takes to the stage at a Pan-Asian Deep Learning Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the year 2028. Walking up and down the stage in front of the audience, in a similar way to Jobs when he launched a new Apple product, Timberlake’s character then introduces his latest creation — a robot that mirrors his movements.

The clip allows Timberlake to show off his world-famous dance moves, as he pulls off some fancy footwork which the robot then copies. As the robot continues with the dancing, it begins to get somewhat hands-on with the dancers on stage, moving with them in a provocative manner — much to the surprise of those in the audience.

The video ends with Timberlake’s character “glitching” and his apparition fading away — suggesting the lines between inventor and invention might be more blurred than viewers first realized.

The tune itself, which Timberlake co-wrote with Timbaland, Danja, James Fauntleroy and Larrance Dopson, is a dance-heavy number which features lyrics about hanging out with friends who “ain’t leavin’ ’til 6 in the morning”. As he builds up to the chorus, Timberlake sings: “Look, I said, ‘Put your filthy hands all over me’/ You know, this ain’t the clean version/ And what you gonna do with all that meat?/ Cookin’ up a meat serving”.

The release of “Man of the Woods” will come just before Timberlake takes to the stage for the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 4 — 14 years after his now-infamous “Nipplegate” performance with Janet Jackson.

WHAM